11 Easiest Big Colleges to Get Into

The best chance for a successful career comes from getting respected institution’s diploma, and we’ll try to deliver a list of easiest big colleges to get into. Of course, everyone can figure out that Ivy League colleges offer the best chance for that, but they are also quite expensive and hard to get into. Some would go as far as to say that Ivy League colleges are basically closed to common students and reserved for the elite. This has raised some controversies in the past, and it still does. But that’s not our topic here. Our topic will be to determine the criteria for what big colleges (besides Ivy League ones) are, and which of these are easiest to gain access to. When we say big, we don’t mean the size, or the number of enrolled students, for that matter. We are instead talking about respective college’s reputation.

Gaining admission to a reputable institution is not an easy feat, and major colleges usually exhibit rather low acceptance rates. For instance, all Ivy League colleges except University of Pennsylvania and Cornell feature acceptance rates lower than 10%. Former of the two has an acceptance rate barely higher than that, while Cornell has a rate of 14.2% which can be checked out here, on U.S. News & World Report’s list of top 100 – lowest acceptance rates. So, how do we rate these colleges?

We’ll have to establish relevant criteria in hope that they’ll be able to give us the best possible answer to the main question – which are 11 easiest big colleges to get into. For that, we’ll have to put the emphasis on college reputation. Of course, we’ll have to pay attention to respective college’s acceptance rate and required scores as well, but that category will be secondary. Even though most of the colleges that are considered reputable have very low admission rates, we have had to draw the line somewhere, and that line will be just behind 150th college on Forbes America’s Top Colleges list.

As far as the acceptance rates go, however, the national average is 55% that can easily be checked out here, together with all other requirements including the ACT, SAT and GPA scores for most colleges across the country. Any number too far below that line, and college is becoming extremely hard to get into because most of the students’ applications are being rejected. But why is that happening? It’s because of scores requirements, naturally. Institutions with the highest reputation get their pick of candidates, and they use it to the full extent. Only those with high ACT and SAT scores and high GPA will get in. Those that fail to meet these strict requirements have to try their luck somewhere else. Needless to say, we’ll also take these scores into consideration.

Considering all of the aforementioned, our methodology is as follows – we’ll rate the colleges in four categories: acceptance rate, average ACT, GPA and SAT scores needed to enroll. The lower the scores, the higher the grade that respective college gets. Grades are between 6 and 10 which means that ACT, GPA and SAT scores categories earn as much as 30 points. Acceptance rate, however, is a direct proportion. It too grades between 6 and 10, but unlike the mentioned scores – the higher the acceptance rate, the higher the grade. Since we have only four criteria, there are bound to be some ties. In order to break them, we’ll give preference to colleges with lower SAT requirements, then lower GPA’s and finally to those with lower ACT scores.

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11. DePauw University

Overall score: 36

This liberal arts college located in Greencastle, Indiana is rated 78th on Forbes list, and has an overall acceptance rate of 61.9% for all students. Students enrolling at DePauw are usually exhibiting GPA scores between 3.35 and 3.64, while their respective ACT scores range from 25 to 29. At the same time, DePauw students usually fall between 1,600 and 1,960 point boundary when it comes to SAT scores.

10. Purdue University

Overall score: 36

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana is a home to some 40,000 students that don’t have to work that hard in order to enroll given college’s acceptance rate of 60.4%. Nevertheless, Purdue is a quite a reputable college, finding itself in position 136 according to Forbes. As such, number 23 school in Midwest still exhibits strict selection criteria, which are evident from required SAT scores between 1,600 and 1,950. ACT scores fall within a range between 24 and 30 while GPA scores of most Purdue’s students range between 3.35 and 3.64.

9. University of Delaware

Overall score: 37

Ranking 142nd overall, the University of Delaware in Newark features the acceptance rate of 64.7%. SAT and ACT exam scores for students in a range between 25th and 75th percentile amount from 1,580 to 1,910, and from 24 to 29 respectively. GPA average for UD students usually ranges from 3.28 to 3.57.

8. Wofford College

Overall score: 37

Number 97 on Forbes list – Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina has had an acceptance rate of 68.8% in fall 2013. This figure has, more or less, been on a constant rise in the last five years and it can safely be expected that this trend might continue. SAT scores for Wofford College students are usually between 1,600 and 1,880 while their ACT scores range from 24 to 29. To enroll here, you should probably have a GPA score between 3.35 and 3.57.

7. Indiana University – Bloomington

Overall score: 37

Bloomington campus is the largest of all Indiana University cells and rates 112th according to Forbes. In total, IU is just shy of 47,000 students, and Bloomington campus doesn’t seem to have such high requirements. Acceptance rate is high at 72.2% while SAT scores needed to enroll fall between 1,570 and 1,910. ACT scores for IU students are usually in between 24 and 30 while GPA averages range from 3.28 to 3.57.

6. Providence College

Overall score: 37

Providence College is, of course, located in Providence, Rhode Island. This Roman Catholic institution has an acceptance rate of 59.8%. Ranked 132nd by Forbes, Providence college usually requires GPA scores between 3.28 and 3.57. It’s one of 11 easiest big colleges to get into because it doesn’t require high SAT scores. Between 1,580 and 1,900 should be enough, and at the same time, relatively low ACT scores between 23 and 28 seem to do the trick as well.

5. Texas A&M

Overall score: 37

Based in College Station, Texas – Texas A&M University is well-known throughout the country. It’s the last considered college since it ranks 150th overall on Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges. Admission rate is high at 69.5%, but students enrolling at A&M don’t really need that high scores. GPA between 3.28 and 3.57 is most common here, and so are SAT scores between 1,560 and 1,900, and ACT scores between 23 and 29.

4. Syracuse University

Overall score: 37

Syracuse too, is one of America’s best-known colleges, but it only ranks 141st according to Forbes. The acceptance rate of 49.5% (lower than the national average) suggests that enrolling at Syracuse isn’t that easy. Given the fact that Northeast is riddled with prestigious institutions of this type, however, Syracuse isn’t that hard to enroll at. You’ll need SAT scores in a range between 1,560 and 1,900, and ACT scores between 23 and 29. Even your GPA doesn’t have to be that high as most of Syracuse’s students have it in a range between 3.28 and 3.57.

3. Virginia Military Institute

Overall score: 38

Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia doesn’t have that high acceptance rate of 47.3%. However, you won’t need that high SAT scores, and everything between 1,540 and 1,850 practically guarantees the spot. Of course, you might need GPA between 3.28 and 3.52 as well, or ACT composite score between 22 and 27. The only downside of VMI is 90 to 10 male/female ratio. Oh, and it ranks 131st according to Forbes.

2. University of California – Irvine

Overall score: 38

One of the newer universities on our list (founded in the sixties) – the University of California in Irvine ranks 147th on Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges. UCI has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 42.4%, but most people in California usually decide to take their talents to other nearby schools (UCLA, Stanford, etc.). This is the reason why SAT scores between 1,480 and 1,890 represent the vast majority of results here. At the same time, GPA scores between 3.13 and 3.57 fall within a range between 25th and 75th percentile, and same can be said about ACT scores from 21 to 27.

1. University of Colorado – Boulder

Overall score: 39

To enroll at Colorado’s largest public research university, you’ll need a composite ACT score between 24 and 29, but even lower than that should do. GPA between 3.35 and 3.57 guarantees the spot (if you fulfill other requirements), and admittance rate of 87.7% offers a break to everyone with SAT scores barely over 1,000. It ranks 114th on Forbes list, but on our list of 11 easiest big colleges to get into, the University of Colorado in Boulder ranks number 1.